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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JACOB G. SLATER, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONEI-IALF TOJOHN P. VILSON, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,681, dated April27, 1886.

Application filed February Q0, 1886. Serial. No.102,6l5. (No model.)

, T all whom, t may concern: and unites with the recessed way 3. Theslot .Be it known that I, JACOB G. SLATER, a b passes verticallythroughthe head B, as herecltlzen of the United States, residing atPoughtofore described, and on its front wall is prol keepsie, in thecounty of Dutchess and State vided withaprojeetion, 6,`and indentations77.

, of New York, have invented cert-ain new and The link-pin D issubstantially ofthe forni 55 useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and Iillustrated in Fig. 4, having a reduced porl do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full,` tion, d, in the upper portion, which isprovided clear, and exact description of the invention,y with a handle,as d, and wide portion d2 in such as will enable others skilled in theart to the lower portion thereof, terminating on an Io which itappertains to make and use the same. incline to a rounded point. Thefront por- 6o My invention relates to car-couplers; and it tion of thisdraw-pin D is provided with inconsists in the construction andarrangement dentations S S and a projection, 9. Thelower of the parts,which will be more fully hereinindentation is formed with a shoulder,10. after described, and pointed out in the claims. which engages with alike-shoulder, 11, formed I5 The object of myinvention is to providea inthe front portion of the vertical slot bin 65 car-coupler, speciallyadapted for use on drawhead B. This link-pin D is also profreight-cars,which shall be simple in its convided with wrist-pins d, whichengagewith struction, readily and easily handled and opthe camway O, formed inthe draw-head, said erated, and cheaply manufactured. I attain pins dextending outwardly from each side :zo these objects by the constructionof coupler of the link-pin Dnear the lower portion there- 7o illustratediu the accompanying drawings, of. wherein like letters and figures ofreference Vhen the linkpin D is inserted through indicate similar partsin the several views, and the longitudinal slot b, the wrist-pinsd3therel in whichin enter the transverse slots b'and pass through i Figurel is a perspective view of my in1- the curved narrow portion l of thecamway 75 proved carcoupler. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal C, thence into thewidened portion of the said 1 vertical section of the same with the pinin a camway, and when in a position to lock the l locking position. Fig.3 is a view similar to link-pin D in position the saidwrist-pins rideFig. 2 with the pin in a position to release down the walls of the saidwidened camway 50 the link. Fig. 4 is a detail view in elevation anddrop into the recess, all of which is shown So of the link-pin. in Fig.2.

A represents a draw-bar having a draw- As seen in Fig. l3, the link-pinis tilted back head, B, on the front portion thereof, as in the on anincline, and the wristpins move up the usual forni of construction nowin use. The inclined wall of the camway.

head B has a projection, B', on the top there- IVhen the link-pin isdropped into the po- 8 5 of, said projection having a longitudinal slot,sition as heretofore described, the iudenta- Z), therein which, as seenin Fig. 1, has two tions and projections on the link-pin engagetransverse slots, b b', at right angles thereto. with the indentatiousand projections in the The slot Z1 extends downward through the frontpart of the head B, and any1 tendency to 5,0 drawhead B, narrowing as itreaches the bota displacement of the link-pin when in a ver- 9o tomthereof. tical position by a sudden jarring oi' the car The slots D', asthey appear in Fig. 1, are is prevented by the interlocking of the saidopenings to the cainway C. This caniway O parts. v consists of aninclined narrow curve, 1, at the The link-pin D is also somewhat widenedupper portion thereof, and the said caniway at or about the point wherethe greatest iu- 95 broadens, having a straight wall, 2, lon onedentation occurs, by making the back of the side terlninating in arecess, 3, at an angle to said pin slightly curve outward, bringing thesaid wall 2, and the opposite side ofthe way strain upon this reenforcedportion of the has an inclined wall, et, which runs down by pin.

5o another inclined wall, 5,01' a different angle, The ordinary form oflink, as E, is used in roo connection with my improved form of coupltendant is necessary and liable to danger, the

ler, necessitating no departure from the construction of the ordinaryform of coupler new used.

In coupling cars with my improved coup- 1er attached thereto the link Eslides into the opening of the draw-head B, and strikes against theinclined foot portion ot' the li nkpin D, and it then automaticallyrises and al lows the lilik to pass under it, and then drops by gravitythrough the link, and adjusts itself relatively to the indentations andprojections and the wrist-pins thereon to the camways. In uncoupling thecars the said linkpin D is pushed backward, as seen in Fig. 3, and thelink E allowed to automatically free itself from securement by the saidlink-pin.

Onno occasion will the link-pin withdraw itself from its slot. It isalways in the slot and ready for coupling, and cannot be jolted orjai-red out of its relative position in said slot. NVhen the cars arecoupled, or when jolting or jarring takes place, the link-pin alwaysassumes such a position as to automatically drop by gravity back to itsnormal locking position. It will be observed that all of the curves inthe indentations, projections, and caniway-walls are formed smooth, andgradually change from one curve t0 the other, thus overcoming anytendency to a cramping of the link-pin, which would result were the saidcurves sharp and of uneven gradation.

The link-pin, when 'forced from its normal locking position, isprevented from entire displacement from the draw-head by its wristpinsentering the enlarged portion of the camway C and striking against theupper wall thereof, which will prevent it from passing entirely out, asthe way formed at this point is a compound curve, and the distancebetween the walls thereof being only of such width as to allow thewrist-pins to pass th rough. The said link-pin can only be removed, whendesired, by pushing it back and drawing the wrist-pins up through theway l, and it is a matter of impossibility to remove the lilikpin fromits intended posit-ion by any other means.

In accidents on railways the cars often assume such a position as tocramp the link, so that it is rendered immovable, and consequently agreat loss of property by [irc or otherwise is the result. By the use ofmy coupling the link may assume any position and still be readilynncoupled.

By the use of my improved coupler no aid is needed in assisting it tooperate, as it antomatically couples of itself and assumes its nor- Bythis means no atl mal locking position.

only aid required being when it is desired to uncouple the cars, whenthe link-pin is suitably pushed back to allow the link to draw out.

By this attention no danger is incurred, as the cars separate one fromthe other. In uncoupling and coupling the cars an auxiliary can be usedin the form of a chain or cord attached to the upper portion of thelink-pin, and be carried or held in any convenient position foroperation.

The draw-head B, with its slots andcamways, may be cast or constructedin any suitable manner and of any kind of metal adapted to the purpose.

It is obvious that many minor details inthe construction and arrangementof the parts may be made and substituted for those shown and describedwithout in the least departing from the nature and principle of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-head having a verticallongitudinal slot therethrough provided with indentations andprojections at the front end thereof and transverse slots about midwayot' the vertical longitudinal slot recessed into the' sides thereof andforming camways, a link-pin having wristpins or gudgeons on either sidethereof, and projections and indentations on the front part thereof,corresponding to the indentationsand projections in the front end of thevertical longitudinal slot, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-head having a rib on theupper portion thereof, and provided with a vertical longitudinal slotand vertical transverse slots through said rib and head, said verticallongitudinal slothaving projections and indentations at the front endthereof, and the transverse slots being recessed in such shape as toform camways, adink-pin having projections and indentations on the frontpartthereofcorresponding to the indentations and projections at thefront end of the vertical and longitudinal slot, whereby said link isprevented from rising up when in place, and also wrist-pins or gudgeonsto carry said link-pin up and down the camways out of and into placewhere the coupler is used, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI affix my signaturein presence ol" two witnesses.

JACOB G. SLA'IER.

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